I've always loved the look of hair jigs in the water. I wish I would have experimented with them more in the clear waters I've fished over the years. Now, I'd be very interested in a 3/8 and 1/2 models in black and blue or black blue and purple. But it would have to be on a weedless jig.

Jim, I haven't used fox hair, just bucktail and belly hair alone and with silicone, how is it? I'd like to find some fox tails locally so I can check them out first, hate buying a "pig-in-a-poke".The second 4 look great also, those white with black top stripes should work great on grass edges.Rodney

Rodney, fox fur & tail hair is very fine compared to deer hair, and can be very dense. Too dense to just tie it on as is. So, a good bit of the finer underfur has to be removed. This is especially true of farm raised or Arctic fox, but I have used some wild, red fox tails that were equally as dense.

This is not an issue for someone who ties flies too, like myself, as I save that material & use it in constructing flies, primarily as a body dubbing material. Otherwise, it's waste for folks who don't tie flies.

As far as fishing them, since the fur/hair is very fine, it has incredible movement, similar to the rabbit hair. Which is a good reason to use them together.

Generally, unless you can find a local source, like from a hunter or trapper, fox tails are more costly than deer tails, especially if dyed. Of course that can depend on the source as IMO, some folks want way too much for them. But, some folks will pay the price! I'll pay up to $10 each for a large Arctic of Silver Fox tail, because they'll tie a lot more jigs than a large deer tail. Run of the mill Red Fox tails, I've paid up to $8 each for them, but have also obtained them for a lot less.

I know you're already familiar with the rabbit strips. I'll buy them in the packs, as whole or half "zonked" hides from fly tying materials suppliers, or will buy the whole hides & cut the strips myself. What I used on those jigs was all bought, already dyed & cut. I like cutting some of them myself too, because I can get natural colors not often sold from the tying material suppliers, and in widths to suit whatever I'm tying. Cutting them can be a bit time consuming, but something I can do when I don't really have anything else to do, like in the evening or on a bad weather day.

Personally, I've tied & fished some hair jigs tied entirely with natural fur rabbit/fox for colors and done very well with them, but it's one of those things that due to the huge variance in natural color, may not always be easily reproduced. Still, I doubt the fish care, as the movement of these materials is what get them bit!

Also, I think you & I have discussed using coyote hair in the past. It's another excellent material for hair jigs. It's not usually as dense as fox, and often with longer hair. In combinations with rabbit, fox or both, it can make some killer jigs, so if you've never used it, don't overlook it!

Those look awesome! How would a hair jig act with a chatterbait blade? Could be interesting.

I've actually done that, and with a jig tied with similar materials IMO it has incredible action! I believe there was also at least one such lure produced & sold commercially. The only draw back is these materials don't have the same durability as synthetic materials, so won't last quite as long if you use them a lot. Of course, I'm biased but I feel that the movement these have out weighs the drawbacks.

At one time, before the rubber & silicone materials were available, natural hair is what was used on jigs, so it's not anything new. We have a lot more options now with materials and components & how to assemble them!

I have a friend, bass fishing buddy and close friend, who is a deer hunter, he's given me tails when I've asked for them. To keep them over time I pack the cut area with salt for a couple of weeks. I've tied a fair number and used on 1/8 and 1/4 ounce ball head jigs for spring and late fall and they work very well. Even with the dyed tails I've found a variance of color even in the same tail, if you work with it you can make some subtle colors that work very well. Nature isn't quite as uniform as we pretend.Rodney

So what does a guy need to get his feet wet here? Vice, bobbin, scissors, whip finisher, and of course materials... hair, thread, cement, hooks or premade jig heads. What's the bare minimum equipment to start off with?

Rodney, that's a good point! IMO, all of these materials have their own unique action, so well worth using. I still tie a good bit with bucktail, especially for targeting Striped Bass. The original "Clouser Minnow" fly is tied with bucktail, and is one of the most used, most productive flies ever devised. I always have some when targeting bass or Stripers, or coastal fish. Its' also a style, so can be tied with other materials. The last trout I caught before I moved from MD, was caught on a tiny Clouser Minnow tied with Arctic Fox fur.

I agree with you about colors too, nothing in nature is a solid color. There are variances in the colors and shades. All animals are individuals too, so a wide amount of variance in these materials and that affects the dyeing process. I prefer that! Often the naturally occurring color differences creates some great affects when dyed. Gray Squirrel tail and Red Fox tails or fur are two good examples. Each has black tipped hair, which remains black when dyed various colors. The fox can be various shades of browns, and tans, and grays and even some white, so dyeing it results in a contrast of color shades because each of the natural colors will take dyes in different manner.

I started dyeing some of the materials I use many years ago, primarily because I wanted colors that were not available from the tying materials suppliers. I've experimented, sometimes mixing dyes to get a desired result. Sometimes, I didn't get the result I wanted, but always got unique colors I could use in flies or jigs. As you say, sometimes I got subtle differences in shades of color, which does fall in line with natural occurring colors.

With tying & fishing hair jigs, "brown" is a popular color, but brown can have a wide range of shades. I'll use shades like a dark brown, or chocolate brown, but prefer and favor a rusty, reddish brown. that's not always easy to find from the materials suppliers, so I dye that myself. Interestingly, I've dyed materials like bucktail, fox tail, coyote tail and badger fur with the same rusty, reddish brown dye, and although each ends up similar, they're not all exactly the same. There's also the issue of repeating the same results with different dye bathes. Dyeing isn't a complex process, but to repeat the same results and get the same color, or close enough every detail has to be repeated. That means measuring and recording weights of dye, water, and controlling temperatures. I use acid dyes, which is like dyeing Easter Eggs, but again, to be consistent with the colors, every part of the process has to remain consistent. That was a hard lesson to learn, and I made mistakes, but enjoyed learning and always got colors not commonly found in tying materials. Some are very natural some not so much!

On the subject of using bucktails, which should really be called "deer tails" because they come from both the bucks & does, the hair on the back side of the tails, can be wonderful for tying small hair jigs. It's not usually as long as the white portion ( assuming from a Whitetail deer) but is often a finer texture and with various differences in color shades. I've had some that ranged from a light tan to almost black, which are always good colors for hair jigs.

So what does a guy need to get his feet wet here? Vice, bobbin, scissors, whip finisher, and of course materials... hair, thread, cement, hooks or premade jig heads. What's the bare minimum equipment to start off with?

That's pretty much it, you've listed everything you really need. There's many good tying vises & tools on the market, and what's best is mostly personal choice & how much you want to spend.

Here's some tips for each. I won't try to recommend a lot of specific brands, as I can only tell you what I've used.

Vise - need to hold the range of hook sizes. Not all fly tying vises will hold larger hooks well, so make sure what you get will.

Scissors - Make sure they're comfortable to use. Most good fly tying scissors now have large finger loops, which helps make them comfortable to use. They should be sharp and fine points helps with cutting close & tight. If you'll primarily be tying jigs, with hairs, serrated blades are better than straight. A good pair will cost in the $10 +- range, if stainless steel. I use a couple of pairs of tungsten carbide scissors, which are in the $25 each range. A very good and popular brand now is Dr Slick, but there are others.

Thread Bobbin - there's many available. I highly recommend getting one with either a ceramic tube or ceramic insert and large enough to both fit your hand and wrap whatever you're tying. I've been using Griffin Enterprises bobbins since they started in business, but again there are other good brands. I like their Magnum size for tying jigs.

Whip Finisher - this is a tool many will recommend. It's not difficult to use, but not a "necessary" tool. I learned to make a whip finish knot with just my fingers, so don't use a tool. I bought a cheap one years ago, and never could get the hang of using it. There are some that folks will swear by! Materelli is a popular brand.

Threads - there are many sizes used in tying. For jigs, a good nylon thread is all you need. This might range in sizes from 3/0, A, B to T-70. Most are designated in denier now. The larger the number the heavier the thread. So, 200 denier will be heavier than 30 denier. I get some threads from fly tying materials suppliers, and some I buy at sewing shops in bulk spools. Basically the same in some types. There are also flat threads and round, twisted threads. Each can be useful. Round threads will build up faster. Being I've been tying flies for a long time, I started with threads from Danville Chenille Co, the oldest fly tying thread supplier in the USA, and still use their Flat Nylon Threads for a lot of tying I do. There are other very good brands now too.

Cement - there are "head cements" available, sold at fly shops for tying. A lot of us use Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails clear finger nail polish, which frankly is as good as any head cement. I also use some super glues and epoxies. They're generally used to coat threads to improve durability.

Materials - for jigs, there again are many. Really any hair can be used. There can be reasons to use specific types due to length, or texture as some will be finer or courser than others. I use many types. Materials like the rabbits strips can be obtained from suppliers of fly tying materials as can most other materials. I buy from many sources, simply to shop & get the best prices. If you hunt or have friends that hunt, that too can be a good source for some materials, especially deer tails. There are also some "flash" materials available and synthetic hairs that can be useful. I use such flash materials as "Flashabou, Krystal Flash, and Polar Flash" all being brand names. I like the Polar Flash the best.

Hooks or Jig Heads - if you want to get into pouring & painting your own, that's a whole different set of tools & supplies. There are various sources where bare or pre-painted jigs can be purchased. I pour my own, and those that I've bought from in the past include Jann's Netcraft, Lure Parts Online, Barlows Tackle and Terminal Tackle Co. These should all be listed in the pinned post at the top of the Tackle Box forum. There are also some sellers on ebay who have jigs for tying. There can be a wide range in prices here too, as much of the time the hooks used affects the price as does the painting process. I like "better" hooks, this being better than the older styles of basic jig hooks. I use Mustad Ultra Points, Gamakatsu, Owner, Matzuo, some Eagle Claw, Trokar, and Daiichi brands, plus some others. I powder paint all of mine, but not all makers do.

This should cover most of what you need! The rest will just be the learning process!

That's pretty much it, you've listed everything you really need. There's many good tying vises & tools on the market, and what's best is mostly personal choice & how much you want to spend.

Here's some tips for each. I won't try to recommend a lot of specific brands, as I can only tell you what I've used.

Vise - need to hold the range of hook sizes. Not all fly tying vises will hold larger hooks well, so make sure what you get will.

Scissors - Make sure they're comfortable to use. Most good fly tying scissors now have large finger loops, which helps make them comfortable to use. They should be sharp and fine points helps with cutting close & tight. If you'll primarily be tying jigs, with hairs, serrated blades are better than straight. A good pair will cost in the $10 +- range, if stainless steel. I use a couple of pairs of tungsten carbide scissors, which are in the $25 each range. A very good and popular brand now is Dr Slick, but there are others.

Thread Bobbin - there's many available. I highly recommend getting one with either a ceramic tube or ceramic insert and large enough to both fit your hand and wrap whatever you're tying. I've been using Griffin Enterprises bobbins since they started in business, but again there are other good brands. I like their Magnum size for tying jigs.

Whip Finisher - this is a tool many will recommend. It's not difficult to use, but not a "necessary" tool. I learned to make a whip finish knot with just my fingers, so don't use a tool. I bought a cheap one years ago, and never could get the hang of using it. There are some that folks will swear by! Materelli is a popular brand.

Threads - there are many sizes used in tying. For jigs, a good nylon thread is all you need. This might range in sizes from 3/0, A, B to T-70. Most are designated in denier now. The larger the number the heavier the thread. So, 200 denier will be heavier than 30 denier. I get some threads from fly tying materials suppliers, and some I buy at sewing shops in bulk spools. Basically the same in some types. There are also flat threads and round, twisted threads. Each can be useful. Round threads will build up faster. Being I've been tying flies for a long time, I started with threads from Danville Chenille Co, the oldest fly tying thread supplier in the USA, and still use their Flat Nylon Threads for a lot of tying I do. There are other very good brands now too.

Cement - there are "head cements" available, sold at fly shops for tying. A lot of us use Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails clear finger nail polish, which frankly is as good as any head cement. I also use some super glues and epoxies. They're generally used to coat threads to improve durability.

Materials - for jigs, there again are many. Really any hair can be used. There can be reasons to use specific types due to length, or texture as some will be finer or courser than others. I use many types. Materials like the rabbits strips can be obtained from suppliers of fly tying materials as can most other materials. I buy from many sources, simply to shop & get the best prices. If you hunt or have friends that hunt, that too can be a good source for some materials, especially deer tails. There are also some "flash" materials available and synthetic hairs that can be useful. I use such flash materials as "Flashabou, Krystal Flash, and Polar Flash" all being brand names. I like the Polar Flash the best.

Hooks or Jig Heads - if you want to get into pouring & painting your own, that's a whole different set of tools & supplies. There are various sources where bare or pre-painted jigs can be purchased. I pour my own, and those that I've bought from in the past include Jann's Netcraft, Lure Parts Online, Barlows Tackle and Terminal Tackle Co. These should all be listed in the pinned post at the top of the Tackle Box forum. There are also some sellers on ebay who have jigs for tying. There can be a wide range in prices here too, as much of the time the hooks used affects the price as does the painting process. I like "better" hooks, this being better than the older styles of basic jig hooks. I use Mustad Ultra Points, Gamakatsu, Owner, Matzuo, some Eagle Claw, Trokar, and Daiichi brands, plus some others. I powder paint all of mine, but not all makers do.

This should cover most of what you need! The rest will just be the learning process!